About a dozen Orange County researchers, professors and students have endorsed Science Debate 2008, a nationwide citizens initiative that urges the top presidential candidates to hold a debate in April that's entirely devoted to key issues in science and technology.

The initiative was drafted by a couple of Hollywood screenwriters and has since enlisted the support of more than 17,000 people, including MIT President Susan Hockfield and former UC Irvine Chancellor Ralph Cicerone, who now serves as president of the National Academy of Sciences.

Brian Cummings, a UCI stem cell researcher, said he signed the petition because "I've never seen an administration abuse/misuse or outright lie about science as the Bush administration has. The more light we can shine on science (that central approach/principal/philosophy which should guide all governmental decisions), the better."

Peter Ditto, a UCI psychology professor, says he signed the petition because "I am a firm believer in evidence-based policy development, and so I believe that having politicians debate scientific issues is crucial. I am not looking for politicians who are scientists or even profess to fully understanding the complexity of the scientific issues relevant to policy.

"What I want to see are politicians who respect science, who believe in it, and believe it not only when it supports their ideology, but also when it challenges it."

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